When Mr Sudberry reached the breakfast parlour, and put his head in at
the door to see whether his faithful wife were there, he was struck
absolutely dumb by the amazing _tableau vivant_ that met his vision.
There was nothing in the aspect of the room itself to surprise him. It
was homely and neat. The table was spread with a clean white cloth, on
which the breakfast equipage was displayed with a degree of care and
precision that betrayed the master-hand of Hobbs; but on the edge of the
table sat a large black cat, calmly breakfasting off a pat of delicious
fresh butter. Beside the table, with its fore-legs thereon and its
hind-legs on the floor, stood a large nanny-goat, which was either
looking in vain for something suited to its own particular taste, or
admiring with disinterested complacency the energy with which two hens
and a bantam cock pecked out the crumb of a wheaten loaf. If the latter
were the goat's occupation, it must have been charmed beyond expression;
for the half of the loaf had been devoured by the audacious trio, and,
just at the moment of Mr Sudberry's appearance, the bantam's body was
buried over the shoulders, and nothing of it was visible to the
horrified master of the house save its tail, appearing over the edge of
the loaf.
"She-ee-ew!" roared Mr Sudberry, rushing into the room and whirling his
arms like the sails of a windmill. The cat vanished through the window
like a black vision galvanised and made awfully real. The poultry,
thrown into convulsions of terror, flew screaming round the room in
blind haste, searching for a door or window of escape; while the goat,
true to its nature, ran at the enemy on its hind-legs, and, with its
head down, attempted to punch him on the stomach. By an active leap to
one side, the enemy escaped this charge; but the goat, nothing daunted,
turned to renew the attack; next moment George, Fred, and Hobbs, rushing
into the room, diverted its attention. Intimidated by overwhelming
numbers, the animal darted through the doorway, along the passage and
out at the front door, where it met Peter unexpectedly, and wreaked its
disappointed vengeance on him by planting on his chest the punch which
had been intended for his master. By this means that timid and hapless
youth was laid flat on the green grass.
"Is Jacky safe?" cried Mrs Sudberry, running into the room with terror
on her countenance, and falling down on the sofa in a semi-swoon on
being informed that he was. She was followed by Lucy and Tilly, with
scent-bottles, and by nurse, who exhibited a tendency to go off into
hysterics; but who, in consequence of a look from her master, postponed
that luxury to a more convenient season.
Thus the "expatriated" family assembled to morning prayers, and to
partake of their first Highland breakfast.
Of course that day, being their first, was spent in an excited and
rambling endeavour to master the localities and ascertain the most
interesting points about their new home.
Mrs Sudberry and her daughters examined the interior accommodation of
the White House minutely, and, with the assistance of Mrs Brown, Hobbs,
and the page, disposed their goods and chattels to the best advantage;
while her husband and sons went out to introduce themselves to the
farmer and his family. They lived in a small cottage, or off-shoot, at
the back of the principal dwelling, in close proximity to which were the
byre, stable, and barns.
It would occupy too much space to relate in detail all the things and
sights that called forth the delight and surprise of the excitable Mr
Sudberry. How he found to his amazement that the byre was under the
same roof with the farmer's kitchen, and only separated therefrom by a
wooden partition with a door in it. How he was assailed by the nine
collie dogs the moment he entered the kitchen, with threats of being
torn to pieces, yet was suffered to pass unscathed. How he and his sons
were introduced by Mr McAllister to his mother, a grave, mild old
woman, who puzzled them beyond measure; because, although clad in homely
and unfashionable garments, and dwelling in a hut little better than the
habitation of the cattle, except in point of cleanliness, she conversed
and conducted herself towards them with a degree of unaffected ease and
urbanity that might have graced any lady in the land. How this old lady
astonished them with the amount of general knowledge that leaked out in
the course of a few minutes' talk. How she introduced the dogs by name,
one by one, to Jacky, which delighted him immensely; and how, soon after
that, Jacky attempted to explore out-of-the-way corners of the
farm-yard, and stepped suddenly up to the knees in a mud-hole, out of
which he emerged with a pair of tight-fitting Wellington boots, which
filled him with ecstasy and his father with disgust.
All this and a great deal more might be dilated on largely; but we are
compelled to dismiss it summarily, without further remark.
In the course of that day Mr Sudberry and his boys learned a great deal
about their new home from McAllister, whom they found intelligent,
shrewd, and well-informed on any topic they chose to broach; even
although he was, as Mr Sudberry said in surprise, "quite a common man,
who wore corduroy and wrought in his fields like a mere labourer."
After dinner they all walked out together, and had a row on the lake
under his guidance; and in the evening they unexpectedly met Mr Hector
Macdonald, who was proprietor of the estate on which the White House
stood, and who dwelt in another white house of much larger size at the
head of the loch, distant about two miles. Mrs Sudberry had expected
to find this Highland gentleman a very poor and proud sort of man, with
a rough aspect, a superabundance of red hair, and, possibly, a kilt.
Judge, then, her surprise when she found him to be a young gentleman of
refined mind, prepossessing manners, elegant though sturdy appearance,
and clad in grey tweed shooting-coat, vest, and trousers, the cut of
which could not have been excelled by her own George's tailor, and
George was particular in respect to cut.
Mr Macdonald, who carried a fishing-rod, introduced himself; and
accompanied his new friends part of the way home; and then, saying that
he was about to take a cast in the river before sunset, offered to show
the gentlemen the best pools. "The gentlemen" leaped at the offer more
eagerly than ever trout leaped at an artificial fly; for they were
profoundly ignorant of the gentle art, except as it is practised on the
Thames, seated on a chair in a punt, and with bait and float.
Hector Macdonald not only showed his friends where to fish, but _how_ to
fish; and the whole thing appeared so easy as practised and explained by
him, that father and sons turned their steps homeward about dusk,
convinced that they could "do it" easily, and anticipating triumph on
the morrow.
On the way home, after parting from Hector, they passed a solitary hut
of the rudest description, which might have escaped observation had not
a bright stream of light issued from the low doorway and crossed their
path.
"I would like to peep into this cottage, father," said Fred, who
cherished strong sympathies with poor people.
"Come then," cried Mr Sudberry, "let us explore."
Jacky, who was with them, felt timid, and objected; but being told that
he might hang about outside, he gave in.
They had to bend low on entering the hovel, which was mean and
uncomfortable in appearance. The walls were built of unhewn stones,
gathered from the bed of the river hard by; and the interstices were
filled up with mud and straw. Nothing graced these walls in the shape
of ornament; but a few mugs and tin pots and several culinary implements
hung from rusty nails and wooden pegs. The floor was of hard mud.
There was no ceiling, and the rafters were stained black by the smoke of
the peat fire which burned in the middle of the floor, and the only
chimney for which was a small hole in the roof. A stool, a broken
chair, and a crooked table, constituted the entire furniture of the
miserable place; unless we may include a heap of straw and rags in a
corner, which served for a bed.
Seated on the stool, and bending over the fire,--was an old woman, so
wild and shrivelled in her appearance that a much less superstitious
urchin than Jacky might have believed her to be a witch. Her clothing
may be described as a bundle of rags, with the exception of a
shepherd's-plaid on her shoulders, the spotless purity of which
contrasted strangely with the dirtiness of every thing else around. The
old creature was moaning and moping over the fire, and drawing the plaid
close round her as if she were cold, although the weather was extremely
warm. At first she took no notice whatever of the entrance of her
visitors, but kept muttering to herself in the Gaelic tongue.
"A fine evening, my good woman," said Fred, laying his hand gently on
her shoulder.
"How do ye know I'm good?" she cried, turning her gleaming eyes sharply
on her questioner.
"Don't be angry, granny," put in Mr Sudberry, in a conciliatory tone.
The effect of this remark on the old woman, was the reverse of what had
been expected.
"Granny! granny!" she shrieked fiercely, holding up her skinny right arm
and shaking her fist at Mr Sudberry, "who dares to ca' me granny?"
"My dear woman, I meant no offence," said the latter, much distressed at
having unwittingly roused the anger of this strange creature, who
continued to glare furiously at the trio.
Jacky kept well in the background, and contented himself with peeping
round the door-post.
"No offence! no offence! an' you dare to ca' me granny! Go! go! _go_!"
As she uttered these three words with increasing vehemence, the last
syllable was delivered in a piercing scream. Rising suddenly from her
stool, she pointed to the door with an air of command that would have
well become the queen of the witches.
Not wishing to agitate the poor woman, whom he now regarded as a
lunatic, Mr Sudberry turned to go, but a wonderful change in the
expression of her face arrested him. Her eye had fallen on the round
visage of Jacky, and a beaming smile now lighted up and beautified the
countenance which had so recently been distorted with passion. Uttering
some unintelligible phrase in Gaelic, she held out her skinny arms
towards the child, as if entreating him to come to her. Strange to say,
Jacky did not run away or scream with fright as she approached him and
took him in her arms. Whether it was that he was too much petrified
with horror to offer any resistance, or that he understood the smile of
affection and reciprocated it, we cannot tell; but certain it is that
Jacky suffered her to place him on her knee, stroke his hair, and press
him to her old breast, as unresistingly and silently as if she had been
his own mother, instead of a mad old woman.
Fred availed himself of this improved state of things to attempt again
to open an amicable conversation; but the old woman appeared to have
turned stone deaf; for she would neither look at nor reply to him. Her
whole attention was devoted to Jacky, into whose wondering ears she
poured a stream of Gaelic, without either waiting for, or apparently
expecting, a reply.
Suddenly, without a word of warning, she pushed Jacky away from her, and
began to wring her hands and moan as she bent over the fire. Mr
Sudberry seized the opportunity to decamp. He led Jacky quietly out of
the hut, and made for the White House at as rapid a pace as the darkness
of the night would allow. As they walked home, father and sons felt as
if they had recently held familiar converse with a ghost or an evil
spirit.
But that feeling passed away when they were all seated at tea in the
snug parlour, relating and listening to the adventure; and Jacky swelled
to double his size, figuratively, on finding himself invested with
sudden and singular importance as the darling of an "old witch." Soon,
however, matters of greater interest claimed the attention of Mr
Sudberry and his sons; for their bosoms were inflamed with a desire to
emulate the dexterous Hector Macdonald.
Rods and tackle were overhauled, and every preparation made for a
serious expedition on the morrow. That night Mr Sudberry dreamed of
fishing.